Last Thing I Remembered
by Wilona Riva
Summary: "Hey, kid, you alright?" something hard poked me in the side, as a gruff voice spoke somewhere over my head. I groaned. Last thing I remembered was stepping into my parents' portal.
1. Proud To Burst

Last Thing I Remembered

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: Butch Hartman does; I don't.

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_Part of the "Spirit Sparklers" collection._

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**Proud to Burst**

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"Hey, kid, you alright?" something hard poked me in the side, as a gruff voice spoke somewhere over my head. I groaned. Last thing I remembered was stepping into my parents' portal.

"Looks like he's awake, Bullet," I heard someone else say.

I groaned and opened my eyes and promptly shut them. I was surrounded by ghost cops and a pirate.

It was the pirate who chuckled. "A new arrival, I see. What is your name, kid?"

"Danny," I answered, opening my eyes again and giving myself the once-over. " Oh, my gosh, I'm a ghost. My parents are going to kill me!"

That brought more peals of laughter from the police ghosts. "Funny guy, Bullet, where'd you get him?"

The pirate's face grew grim.

I gulped. "Please..."

Bullet crouched down and lifted my chin. "Your life as you know it is over, kid. For violating the laws of the Ghost Zone, I'll be turning you over to the Warden. He'll go easy on you, seeing as you're a newbie."

I looked through the open portal, seeing Sam and Tucker peering inside, through the green swirling haze. "And if I don't want to?"

Bullet shook his head. "That, kid, is against the rules. Walker doesn't play around."

Reality was beginning to settle in, as I heard myself say, "Okay. Think he'll give me a job?"

Bullet smiled. "I'll train you myself. I'm one of the best bounty hunters in the Zone."


	2. Valley of Emeralds

Last Thing I Remembered

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: Butch Hartman does; I don't.

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**Valley of Emeralds**

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The prison where Bullet and the ghosts cops worked was situated in a beautiful lush canyon. Sam would have oohed and ahhed over all the lush emerald grass and rare gorgeous plants that surrounded the vast complex.

"Over here, Danny," Bullet quietly called, bringing the boy back to his present reality. A wicked looking iron gate swung open to admit the two of them; the cops having gone back to their posts the moment of their return.

"Sorry, Bullet," Danny replied, shaking his head. "It's just Sam would have loved the natural wildness of this place, just without the incarceration aspect."

"I know what you mean," Bullet replied. "Walker will appreciate that one."

"Walker? Is he the Warden?"

"Yes. His office is just down this corridor." The setup for the warden's office reminded Danny of his daily trip to see Principal Ishiyama. He sighed and sat down in the seat dubbed the 'troublemaker's bench'. He looked up to see Bullet eyeing him with a strange smile on his face. "Habit," he explained.

"Shows you have spirit, punk, and you know your place in the food chain," a gruff Clint-Eastwood sounding voice said from the doorway. "Both of you, get your butts in here."

Bullet looked at Danny and shrugged. "He's got his own spy network," he said. "Best get this interview over."

"Sit," Walker, an almost pure-white ghost dressed like a gangster from the thirties said, gesturing at the two seats in front of him. One of the guards shoved Danny from behind, causing the boy to stumble. Danny glared at him; the guard just grinned sardonically in reply.

"Explain," the Warden barked.

"The boy tumbled out of the new stable portal," Bullet replied. "He's a newborn."

"A halfa," Walker said, acid in his tone. "Another freak of nature on the loose."

"What is a halfa, Mr. Walker, sir?" Danny asked, trying to calm the nervousness in his voice. "I don't understand."

Walker exchanged glances with Bullet.

"What is your name, boy?"

"Daniel James Fenton, sir."

"What do you know about ghosts, son?"

"Only that they're evil and want to hurt humans, sir."

Walker exchanged another glance with Bullet. "Who told you this?" he demanded.

"My parents, sir," Danny answered. "They're ghost hunters."

"The Fentons!" Walker shouted, rising to his feet in anger. "They are on my top-ten list and now their son sits before me as a half-freak abomination."

"Walker," Bullet cut him off before he launched into another tirade about Plasmius. "He's not Plasmius. He has no idea what he has become. I would suggest sending him back to the human world, but not as he was before."

Walker grinned as the what Bullet had in mind struck his brain. "Might work," he mused, stroking his chin. Looking a scared Danny Fenton in the eyes, he leaned over the desk. "Here's the deal, punk. You work for me now. I am sending you back to your world, but you will do as I tell you. Return to your life as it was before; go to school, play video games, whatever you teens do nowadays."

"Yes, sir," Danny said, relieved to be still in one piece.

Walker shook his index finger in a warning gesture. "I'm not finished, boy. Bullet has agreed to take you on as one of my bounty hunters. It will be your job to catch any rogues who enter your world and return him here. From time to time, you will give me any information that I require on your parents."

"You want me to betray my folks?" Danny asked, shocked.

"No," Walker told him. "You will just keep your eyes and ears open. You are a ghost now, son, and as a halfa, you can still masquerade yourself as a mortal. Bullet will take you to see some of our allies now. Any questions?"

Danny's looked down at his trembling hands as he assimilated what the white ghost was telling him. "Who is Plasmius?" he asked, finally looking up at Walker and Bullet.

"Punk's got guts," Walker said, chuckling. "Get him out of here, Bullet and take him to Clockwork."

"Yes, sir. Follow me, Phantom."

"Phantom?" Danny asked him, puzzled over the new name.

"You have to be called something now that you're one of us," Bullet explained.

"Make sense," Danny replied. "Who is Clockwork?"

"Full of questions, ain't ye?"


	3. The Last Door

Last Thing I Remembered

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: Butch Hartman does; I don't.

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_Jeanette9a pointed out that this __story starts out similar to her 'The Other Way Out'. Strange, how that happens at times._

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**The Last Door**

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"It's the last door on the right," the voice greeted Bullet and Danny, when the portal Walker had instructed them to you thrust them into an old abandoned history museum. Danny could almost hear the ancient clocks in the tower counting the seconds to Armageddon.

"Do you think it a wise idea to use the boy in such a manner?" Bullet called out to the shadows.

"It's either that or send him to the school," the voice replied. The speaker appeared from the shadows of the replica of Big Ben, part of an old exhibit on the history of the palace of Westminster.

"Hmm, that's a good idea, one I will have to consider, but Phantom needs training. Also, his parents are constantly developing weapons that are extremely fatal to our kind in their research into the afterlife."

"I see," the old ghost turned into a child, ruby eyes flickering over to the boy. "Daniel?"

"Yes, sir?" Danny asked.

"What do you want?"

"To go home, sir," came the honest answer from the young half-ghost.

"Then home, you shall go," Clockwork told him. "But remember, you work for Walker now. The last thing any one of us needs is another Plasmius."

"Everyone keeps talking about this Plasmius. Who is this guy?" Danny asked, anger and bewilderment pushing the edges of his patience.

"The last door," Clockwork repeated, pointing down a dimly lit corridor with the staff in his hands. He was now a young man in the prime of life. "That is the one that will take you home at the very second you left. Fare thee well, young halfa. We shall meet anon."

"Shakespeare nut," Bullet grumbled, good-naturedly. "Well, Phantom, let's get you home. No time at all will have passed, just you wait and see."

"How am I going to explain this?" Danny pointed at himself in a mirror on the wall. "Especially to my parents and to Sam and Tucker?"

"Simple," Bullet replied, opening the last door they'd run across, revealing a golden swirling portal. "Now get in there and go home. Resume your life as if you never met me. Here, take this."

"What is it?" Danny asked, taking what appeared to be a weird type of watch. "It looks like one of those fob watches they used in the Victorian and Edwardian eras."

"Something along those lines," Bullet replied. "If an ordinary human examines it, it will just be an ordinary broken old piece of sentimental junk you carry around. I'll come to you upon the morrow and show you how the communicator works; this is how we'll communicate while wolds away. Got it?

"Yeah," came Danny's response as he pocketed the tarnished silver fob watch.

"Good," came Bullet's voice behind him, as he shoved the boy through the golden portal. "Oh, and watch your step."

"Bullet!"

* * *

"Shh!" came a girl's admonition. "He's coming around. Danny? Danny? Please, say can you can hear me?"

"Sam, it's too late," a boy answered, his voice causing Danny's ears to hurt. "We both saw him get electrocuted when the portal activated."

"He's not dead, Tucker," the girl shot back. She smelled of moonlight and lavender. "I'll just try and resuscitate him."

"I love you too, Sam," Danny croaked out, choosing this moment to come around. "What the heck hit me?"

"A ton of electricity, dude," Tucker said, staring at the sight of his best friend lying on the cold tiled floor with a gorgeous girl in dark clothing and makeup hovering over him. "You're lucky all that happened was your clothing got singed."

Sam's eyes narrowed when she noted a strange green glint in Danny's blue eyes. "Or maybe something else happened that we are unaware of," she murmured to herself. "Can you stand up, Danny?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Good, let's get you upstairs before your parents kill us."

Unnoticed to the trio, the Fenton Ghost Portal resumed its eerie swirlling emerald glow, the golden light of Clockwork's portal fading as the last door shut.


	4. Third Star

Last Thing I Remembered

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: Butch Hartman does; I don't.

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**Third Star**

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"There are three stars," Bullet said, after Danny deactivated the ghost alarms, "etched into the back of the fob watch. Go ahead and press the third one."

Danny pulled out the fob watch and turned it over. He glanced nervously at the clock. He had half an hour at the most to learn what he could before his parents returned from chasing Walker's police all over town. The third star vanished at his touch. The watch ticked slightly and the hands moved ever so slightly. The watch's time now read 5:45 pm.

He looked up startled at his mentor. "What does it mean?"

Bullet sighed. "It is how you will know when to meet me or Walker. The times are actually a psychic energy signal between the three of us. You will be carrying that watch everywhere with you and will more than likely be in constant physical contact with it. Check it before and after school each day, as well during any free moment you have. What does the watch read?"

"5:45 pm," Danny answered.

"Any time displayed between the fifth and sixth hours of the evening means...?" Bullet quizzed.

"Ghost lessons and/or hunting escapees," Danny recited from memory. It was part of the stupid rules inflicted on him by Walker that he was supposed to memorize and recite verbatim.

Bullet caught his mental sigh and placed one gentle hand on the boy's shoulder and forced him to look up at him. "I know it's a giant pain in the rear to work for Walker, but it's safer to be part of the system than to be in it. Do you see the first star?"

"Yes, sir."

"When you need someone to talk to, touch it. I will feel the link we share and will come as soon as I can. It won't always be right away, so expect sometimes a long or a short wait. Now, if the hands are on noon and the second star glows, what do you do?"

"Find Clockwork or run like hell," the boy answered.

"Wise guy," Bullet chuckled. "You'll do just fine. Just keep memorizing the list of rules and the times schedule and you'll fit right in."

He snapped his fingers and dug around in a hidden pocket and handed him an old sheet of notebook paper. "Walker's latest rules. Write them down in that book I gave you and memorize them. Quiz next meeting."

A squeal of tires and a slight booming crash indicated to Danny's ears that his father had forgotten to raise the garage roof again. "You had better go, Bullet. They're home."

"Right," the ghost pirate told him. "Remember what I said."

"Memorize the rules and the times list," Danny recited, eyes shut.

"Danny, why is there a ghost pirate in my kitchen?" his mother's voice rang out.

"Darn it," Bullet heard the boy mutter. The huntress could be a useful ally and made the spot decision to let her in on the boy's new life.

"Dear woman," he said, turning on the old charm. "There are some things you need to know about your son. How about we adjourn to the living room and I will explain to you and yours of how Phantom and I met?"

"Phantom?" Maddie's eyes flickered over to her son, who nodded, still staring at the tiles.

"Phantom," Bullet concurred, causing the boy to look up in surprise and alarm.

"I thought you said they weren't supposed to know?" he accused his mentor.

"Times change," he replied. "And don't repeat any part of this conversation to Walker. What he doesn't know, won't bite us in the butt later."

"Yes, sir," Danny answered, heading for the kitchen door. "Uh, Mom, wasn't Dad with you a moment ago?"

"Oh, he had to go back to the store," his mother said. "He forgot the fudge."

"Of course," Danny answered dryly. "It would have to be the fudge."

"Daniel!"

"Sorry, Mom."


	5. Hours of the Clock

Last Thing I Remembered

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: Butch Hartman does; I don't.

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**Hours of the Clock**

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"So, explain to me how you met...Bullet, was it?...Danny," Maddie said, when they adjourned to living room. She had her hood down, and was currently reclining on the living room sofa with her arms crossed as her son stood by the window gazing out.

"I fell through the portal on the day it activated," he said, sneaking a glance at his mentor, who nodded. They'd gone over this cover story in case his parents ever discovered Bullet's presence and it was now time to put it to the test.

"You could have _died_, Daniel, or even turned into a ghost!" Maddie's periwinkle blue eyes widened in horror as her imagination spun out many possible endings for her son.

"I was there when he fell through, Mrs. Fenton," Bullet cut in, throwing a warning look to Danny to keep silent. "If I had not been, then one of the darker ghosts might have. I took him to an old friend, who agreed to send him home."

"With no strings attached?"

"Only with the condition that Danny helps out in his shop now and then. He was concerned when he found out who Daniel was, but another old friend, one who we call the Time Master, assured him the boy was harmless. The boy has good reflexes. He took out the Box Ghost last week within ten minutes tops when he tried to steal all our boxes."

"You're training him to ghost hunt?" Maddie asked, mind wondering at the possibility of her son being trained to hunt ghosts...by a ghost.

Bullet shook his head. "No, Mrs. Fenton," he said, entering the lie portion of the story. "Walker saw the kid's sharp reflexes, thought it would be a good idea to train him to mind his shop. He runs a tight ship and has a lot of rules."

"What kind rules?"

"The Hours of the Clock," Danny muttered, without turning to face her.

"What was that, Phantom?" Bullet asked, looking at the boy suspiciously.

"One of the things I have to memorize are the Hours of the Clock," he repeated.

"You've known how to tell time since second grade, Daniel," his mother replied, indicating how upset she was with him. Times like these, he really hated when she used his full name.

"It's not about telling time, Mrs. Fenton," Bullet tried to explain. "Daniel, you should have the Hours of the Clock memorized by this time. What are they?"

"Another quiz? Come on, Bullet!" Danny yelled, exasperated.

"Phantom!"

"Alright, alright." Danny pulled a small black-bound tablet out of his back pocket and flipped a few pages. He was about the read the alternate set of the rules for his mother, devised by Walker, if ever his parents found out or went through his stuff.

**The Hours of the Clock**

**Midnight-4pm **These hours are given to be with your family, your friends, and your physical duties. (i.e. school and/or sleep)

**4pm - 5pm **You are to be keeping with all your studies, memorizing rules, etc.

**5pm - 6pm** This time is given over to Bullet, so he may train you to work properly within the shop's merchandise.

**6pm - 8pm ** You will report to the Time Master for historical enrichment.

**8pm - midnight **You will spend the rest of your remaining hours doing normal social things people your age do, then you will gain enough rest to start over on the morrow. No exceptions.

"This, Walker, seems a bit of a perfectionist to me," Maddie said, handing her son back the little notebook, which he pocketed at once.

"He is," Bullet agreed, "but the rules are there for a reason." Here he cast a side-long glance at his charge, who blushed furiously.

"What happened?" Maddie asked, curiously.

"I got into a fight with another ghost named Ember, who also works in the shop," Danny said, cheeks stained pink with embarrassment at the memory. "She got mad at me and hypnotized me. Next thing I knew, I was dressed like that girl from _My Fair Lady_."

"Walker made it a rule that if Danny chose to dress like a girl, then like a girl he would be treated," Bullet finished the explanation. "Phantom is now required as part of his training to learn how to sew, walk with heels, and take eloquently. It will come in handy if ever we need to disguise him as a girl. Sometimes, we have to fool our customers."

"Bullet!"

"You do make a pretty girl, Phantom," Bullet teased.

"BULLET!"

"That's enough, you two," Maddie said, raising one hand in a cease-and-desist motion. "I will not discuss this with Daniel's father, on the condition, that this does not interfere with his school work. I don't like the idea of you working with ghosts, but seeing as this has been going on for the last two weeks," she looked over for confirmation with Bullet, who nodded. "There's nothing much I can do about it. Am I clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," both the boys told her.

"And Danny?"

"Ma'am?"

"Don't forget the reactivate the ghost alarms before you go to bed tonight," Maddie said, rising to her feet. She beamed down at him. "My little phantom, a ghost hunter, just like his mother."

Bullet whistled and looked up at the ceiling. The huntress had bought the lie-seasoned with enough truth-hook, line and sinker.

Walker would have to know about this change in development.


	6. Discussion

Last Thing I Remembered

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: Butch Hartman does; I don't.

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**Discussion**

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"New development with Phantom, I take it, Bullet?" was Walker's greeting when Bullet was ushered into his office.

"The huntress caught us; the alarms were deactivated," Bullet explained.

"Hmmm, so what did you do?"

"It's was Phantom's suggestion. The alternate story seasoned with enough truth was bought hook, line, and sinker by the huntress. The boy's 'Alternate Hours of the Clock' came in handy, so that was some quick thinking on his toes. So do you regret hiring him?"

"Not one bit," Walker grinned. "See to it that no one else find out."

Bullet nodded, taking his leave.

* * *

(One Month Later)

"WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO TELL US ABOUT THIS?!"

Bullet winced at the Manson girl's voice hit the decibels off the charts. Phantom had ignored the fob watch apparently, but nothing was pressing, so he'd let the boy off the hook with a training exercise of capturing Klemper (again).

"YOU FELL THROUGH THE FLOOR, DANNY FENTON! DON'T TELL ME IT WAS NOTHING. AND YOU STAY OUT OF THIS, TUCKER FOLEY."

Bullet was now closer to the empty school room, so Phantom should about sense his presence...right...now.

"Dude, what was that? We can see your breath."

So that, Bullet thought, was Phantom's ghost sense registering. Interesting to note that humans could see it too.

"Dude, what is it with you and that old watch?"

Phantom's groan registered in Bullet's ears, as he phased through the door of the classroom.

"You have forgotten something, halfa," he said, staring sternly down at the three children below. They didn't appear scared of him-the fully human ones he noted.

"Eh, Bullet, it's not four o'clock yet," Danny hedged a bit, sneaking a peak at the watch. It read 3:30pm. "And it's registered on the half-hour."

"You were summoned a half hour ago," his mentor reprimanded. "I've given you ample time to come down to the shop, but you ignored it for the second time this week. You know what that means."

"Please, not Klemper again!"

"Or you can go inspect Skulker's latest shipment," Bullet added. "Take your pick."

Danny mumbled something about Klemper, while scuffing his feet. "Guys, I'm really sorry about this. I have an after school job that I forgot about. Yes, Sam, I work for a ghost who has a shipping business in the Ghost Zone. No, Tucker, I don't think it's a good place to pick up girls. I've only ever seen Ember or Kitty there any way."

The human boy and girl looked crestfallen. The girl looked up and poked Danny in the chest. "We are not finished, Danny Fenton."

Tucker Foley squinted up at the ghost faintly glowing in the waning afternoon light. "I want to hear the full story later, man, but I have to go as well. Lot's to organize."

Sam shot him a scathing look. "Me too. Bye, Danny. Bye, uh, Mr. Ghost."

Bullet sneered at her. "Bye humans." When they were both alone, he swung back in the boy's direction. "Morph."

Neither noticed the door slightly reopen and two pairs of eyes peek in through the crack. A flash of blinding light filled the room and when the spies could see again, a strange new ghost was present in their friend's stead.

"Now explain, Phantom," Bullet said, folding his arms. "This had better be good."


	7. Mystery Meat

Last Thing I Remembered

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: Butch Hartman does; I don't

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**Mystery Meat**

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"Okay, now explain everything to me again from the top," Walker barked at the half-ghost sitting sullenly on the hard bench in front of him.

Danny groaned. "Walker, it's after midnight. Can't we do this tomorrow?"

"Daniel Phantom!"

"Alright, alright. Sheesh!"

"Phantom." This time is was Bullet delivering the warning.

Phantom ran one through his hair nervously, and muttered a quick prayer to the heavens he didn't become an inmate himself after this latest discussion. Playing catch with Klemper, when all he had so far, were the very basic of ghost powers, and only rudiment knowledge on how to control them, just plain sucked at times.

"Sam and Tucker caught me sinking through the floor after Sam went on a tirade about her parents trying to dress her like 'a Barbie doll in tons of fru-fru cotton candy pink.'" He used air quotes to emphasize Sam's speech, eliciting a grin out of Walker.

"They yanked me into an empty classroom and started yelling at me for keeping secrets from them. Bullet appeared at that point and barely saved my bacon. Next day, everything seemed normal, except that Sam and Tucker seemed a bit skittish of me."

"And what else?" Walker pressed.

"Everything was fine, until I lost control again and started falling through the floor. Sam pulled me back up, and then down, because I started to float. Tucker took some pictures, I think, so I'll try and swipe 'em tonight, but I think he made backups for blackmail."

"That is wise," Bullet commented.

"Yeah," Danny muttered. "What no one knew was that Sam managed to get the school board to try and change the menu. This prompted the Lunch Lady's appearance during the first lunch shift."

"Uh-huh," Bullet confirmed that bit of news to the Warden, who scowled at the boy.

"I spent the better part of two days, fighting her, and dealing with Sam and Tucker's impromptu meat vs veggie debate. They got a whole host of people organized at the last second to show up at school. The whole debacle came to a head after the Lunch Lady kidnapped Sam and tried to shove meet down her throat. Here, you might want to let her out now."

Walker watched at Phantom rummaged in his school bag and pulled out a metal soup thermos and plunked it down on his desk. "What is this?"

"My parents' latest invention. They call it the 'Fenton Thermos'. It's designed as a capture and retain device for ghosts. It didn't work at first, but a bit of ecto-energy was all that was needed to get it working."

"And did it?"

"Yes, sir," Danny told him proudly. "She's inside. She almost killed me, but it was my father's quick timing that got me the thermos and here she is."

Walker looked at Bullet, who smirked at him. "Well, kid, you did really well, except for one thing."

Danny paled at that news. "Yes, sir?"

"In what way was she harming humans when you first engaged her?"

"Uh, she wasn't?"

"Exactly," Walker said, standing up and leaned over the desk. "Listen to me very carefully, Phantom. You do not fight ghosts unless they are harming the human pests. Am I clear?"

Danny winced at the verbal reprimand. "Yes, sir."

"Now get out of here, kid, and take this home to your mother, so she can be apprised to your fictional progress here within my shop. Consider yourself promoted to full-time status," Walker told him. "You've got guts, kid. Do better on that history exam next week, or you'll have the Clockwork Chronos breathing fire down both our necks again."

"Yes, sir!"


	8. Amulet

Last Thing I Remembered

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: Butch Hartman does; I don't

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**Amulet**

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"Wait. You mean...I'm going on a date with a dragon?!" Phantom yelped, looking around wild-eyed for a quick escape route. The guards, noting this, grinned and charged their copper-tipped ecto-batons.

Phantom slumped into his seat. "I'm not getting out of this, am I?"

"No," Walker replied, calmly. He tapped his steepled fingers against each other for a few minutes, then nodded in after thought. "Unless there is a human girl you'd rather bring to Aragon's ball? I did hear a rumor about your powers interacting with your hormones this week."

Phantom groaned, as Bullet chuckled from behind them. "I hate my life."

"No, you don't, Daniel," Bullet chided him gently. "Besides, that Paulina may have the looks, but that goth girl you hang around has the sense and the spirit you need."

"Why do I have to go to the Dragon Prince's ball?" Danny asked sullenly. "My school dance is that night too. I've got to be there in case my dad does something really stupid."

"You've gained overshadowing?" Walker asked, shock evident on his face.

"Impressive," Bullet added. "How is the fishing going?"

"Dad couldn't catch a tune in a bucket," Phantom replied, relieved at the change of topic. "Except, he actually caught a ghost this morning. I managed to send her back to the Zone, but she dropped this. I almost gave it to Paulina by accident."

The object he placed into Walker's outstretched hand was a heavy chain of old gold with an circular cut emerald that flashed with a seamless grace in the purple light flickering from the candle flame on his left.

"The Amulet of Aragon," Bullet breathed. "Phantom, you were wise not to give it to that foolish mortal girl. Your world would have been in ruins before sundown tomorrow if you'd had."

Phantom gulped. "So I still have to go?"

"To the ball?" Walker stared down at the necklace in his hand. "Yes. You have to return this amulet to Princess Dorathea, Aragon's sister. She is more forgiving than her father or brother. As for the overshadowing, Bullet will set up a training exercise for you day after tomorrow. It is not wise to leave this new skill untrained, now would it?"

"Overshadowing your best friend to get him to bring the goth girl to the dance, doesn't count either," Bullet stated, when Walker was through. "Am I clear?"

"No overshadowing unless necessary," Phantom said in sing-song, recited Walker's latest rule.

"Ethics, Phantom," Walker snapped. "That's what dictionaries were invented for. Go and look it up."

"Yes, sir," Phantom meekly answered.

"Now, let's discuss your new wardrobe change," Walker said, smiling, rising from his desk. "Madame De Roche is the best in the Zone and I have arranged a fitting for you this afternoon."

"Walker, you can't do this!" Phantom shouted, shooting to his feet.

"I can, I will, I have," Walker replied. "Consider this an added requirement for your continued employment with me."

"Yes, sir," Phantom mumbled, emerald eyes blazing with anger. His clothes were baggy and comfortable, dang it!

* * *

**Author's Note: Yes, the first line is from episode 2. Next chapter will have Danny meeting Prince Aragon and Princess Dorathea.**


	9. Sucking Light

Last Thing I Remembered

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: Butch Hartman does; I don't.

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**Suckin****g Light**

* * *

Madame De Roche left the room with a smug smirk on her bluish face. Danny grimaced and looked down at his outfit for the ball. Plucking at the strange fabric, he looked up with terrified eyes at Bullet and whispered, "Is this necessary?"

"Yes," came the strained reply. Bullet had answered this question about 50 times already. "You have recently attained the rank of a knight, in Aragon's eyes, and as a knight you shall appear."

"But I'm too young to be a knight!" Danny protested. "Shouldn't I be a page or a squire or something?"

Bullet pinched his nose. "Your skills are still growing, Phantom, but this is the rank Walker wishes for you to appear. Medieval fashions stink at times, so just deal with it."

"Fine," Danny said, looking at himself in the mirror and made a face of disgust at his reflection. If going to a fancy dress party wearing dark green hose, and a white bliaut with full skirts and wide sleeves. His under tunic was green-and-white striped. A leather belt with silver and gold Celtic knotwork held it close. He wasn't going to get started on the itchy undergarments he was wearing, but was very glad Walker hadn't insisted on chain mail or armor.

"Ah, here, this is what is missing!" Madame De Roche's Italian lilt stopped Bullet from biting back a sarcastic answer. She held out to Danny a pair of dark leather laced ankle boots.

"Um, Bullet...?"

"Just put it on, Phantom," came the exasperated reply.

* * *

The lights flickered on in the lab when Danny emerged from the Fenton Portal an hour after midnight; the periwinkle eyes of his mother flicker to the parcels in his hands.

"Do I want to know?" she asked.

"Fancy medieval costume party that Walker is making me get dressed up for," Danny growled in reply. "It's on the night of the school dance, so I can't go to that."

"You could go for a little while," Maddie reassured him. "It would mean a lot to Sam, and your father. It is your first high school dance, Danny."

"I should have just overshadowed Mr. Lancer," Danny muttered.

Danny, of course, forgot his mother had very sharp hearing. "Overshadow?" She grabbed Danny and yanked him over to the steel work table in the corner where a lot of strange instruments in various stages of completion were stacked in a neat, disorderly heap.

Grabbing a long steel rod, she adjusted a few knobs and then scanned him head-to-toe. Danny paled as the humming increased, and then followed a period of silence with an affirmative chiming sound.

"A ghost?" she looked in confusion from the instrument in her hand to her son and back again. She released Danny and backed up slowly from him, fear in her eyes.

"Daniel, explain."

Her son closed his eyes and bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Mom." Without any further words, he turned, grabbed the parcels and ran back through the portal.

Footsteps on the stairs followed a minute later, shadows revealing her husband in a bright orange-and-black spandex suit with a white-and-pink nightshirt over it. "Maddie, what are you doing up this late at night? It's after midnight."

"Danny," she whispered, voice harsh in the still quiet of the lab.

"What about Danny?" Jack demanded, blue eyes flickering to the rolling swirls of the portal's entrance. "He went into the portal, didn't he?"

His wife nodded.

"Evil ghosties aren't allowed to kidnap Jack Fenton's son!" Jack shouted, reaching for the Fenton Fisher.

"Jack, wait!" Maddie exclaimed.

"Aww, Mads!"

"There's something you need to know about Danny."

Jack froze, staring at his wife. "What?"

"Danny wasn't kidnapped by ghosts. He is a ghost; I think he's been a ghost since he got the portal running."

"The accident," Jack whispered, dropping his arms to his side, weariness overcoming him. "So now what are we going to do?"

"I don't know," Maddie told him. "We just have to wait until he comes home."

"Ghost, human, or something in between, " Jack told her, pulling her tenderly close. "He is our son."

"Thank you, Jack."

A shadow at the top of the stairs retreated silently back to her room.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry about not updating and/or answering reviews as often as I should have been. I've been lax about checking email for various reason, not necessarily including the following: family visiting, trying to book the reception hall for my wedding next spring, the neverending crochet projects, etc. ****I'll be working on the back log of email over the next week, so hopefully I'll have another update for you soon.**


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